The Liverpool striker Luis Suárez has admitted deliberately going to ground in an attempt to win a penalty against Stoke City earlier this season. However, he insisted the criticism he received for his controversial recent goal against Mansfield was unjust and also accused the press of using his name to sell newspapers.

Not for the first time during his time in England, Suárez came under fire after going down theatrically in the penalty area during October's goalless Premier League draw at home to Stoke. Although no penalty was given, the Stoke manager, Tony Pulis, called the Uruguay forward "an embarrassment" after the match.

Jim Boyce, Britain's Fifa representative, later described Suárez's dive as "nothing less than cheating", adding that simulation was a "cancer" in the game. Suárez has now admitted "falling" in an attempt to win a penalty, saying: "Football is like that. Sometimes you do things on the field that later you think, 'Why the hell did I do that?'

"I was accused of falling inside the box in a match and it's true I did it that time, because we were drawing against Stoke at home and we needed anything to win it. But after that everybody jumped out to talk – the Stoke coach and the Everton coach … I understood that the name Suárez sells [papers]."

Suárez was back in the spotlight recently following his hand ball in the build-up to his winning goal against Mansfield in the FA Cup third round. There were questions as to whether the 25-year-old handled the ball deliberately or accidentally.

He said: "The other day a ball hit my hand with no intention at all and everybody criticised me because I kissed my wrist. Suárez sells.

"That's why they also talk about Suárez having a chat in secret with [Sebastián] Coates in front of [Steven] Gerrard. They make up anything. Everybody should do what they have to do, to talk about football and not anything else."

Suárez also believes foreign players are treated differently in England. He said: "It's tough. As Carlitos [Carlos Tevez] and Kun [Sergio Agüero] said, the foreigners, and even more the South Americans, receive different treatment than the local ones.

"It's a cultural thing. They have different behaviours. What we have to do is play football, do what we know, what we've always desired. We fought to be here and suffered a lot to be here. We shouldn't listen to any nonsense they say now."